Games by Josh Raab

Archive for the month “August, 2012”

Below are the rules for Double Impactics, the asymmetric tactical combat game I helped create at the Jean Claude Van Jam along with Chris Hernandez, Ryan Lester, and Neil Sveri. We submitted an analog version, but a digital version is in the works.

Double Impactics is an asymmetric top-down tactical combat game for 2 players. One player takes control of Alex (Jean-Claude van Damme) and Chad (Jean-Claude van Damme), while the other controls a squad of Goons. The Goons must try to take down one of the van Dammes, while the van Dammes must either kill all the Goons or reach the victory location.

2. RULES

This section contains the rules of the game.

2.1. Objective: Van Dammes

The van Dammes can win in two ways. First, they win if they kill off all the Goons. Second, they win if either one of them reaches a victory location.

2.2. Objective: Goons

The Goons win if they kill either van Damme.

2.3. Round Structure: Overview

Each round is divided into three phases: the Planning Phase, the Combat Phase, and the End Phase.

2.4. Round Structure: Planning Phase

During the Planning Phase, the van Dammes player chooses 6 cards. These will execute during the Combat Phase in the order picked.

The van Dammes player may choose to discard a card instead of playing it. In this case, the card still enters the queue, but the van Dammes take no action when it comes up in the queue.

2.5. Round Structure: Combat Phase

During the Combat Phase, the cards chosen by the van Dammes player execute in the order they were picked.

After each van Dammes card executes, the Goons player makes one move with a randomly chosen Goon.

2.6. Round Structure: End Phase

During the End Phase, the van Dammes player’s hands are replenished with new cards from the deck, and his permanent cards are replaced. (The probability of any card being picked at any given time is always the same, regardless of what cards are in play.)

2.7. Cards (Available Actions): Van Dammes

The van Dammes player has 2 hands, one for Alex and one for Chad.

Alex always has 2 instances of the following 4 types of permanent cards to start each round: Forward 1, Rotate Left, Rotate Right, and Attack. Additionally, Alex gets 2 cards at random from the deck.

Chad always has 2 instances of the following 2 types of permanent cards to start each round: Sidestep Left and Sidestep Right. Additionally, Chad gets 4 cards at random from the deck.

2.8. Available Actions: Goons

The Goons player always has a given set of actions available, depending on what Goon has been chosen to move next.

When a movement card (Forward 1, Forward 2, Sidestep Left, Sidestep Right, Backward 1 Space) is played, the character moves in the direction given, unless there is an obstacle in the way.

Obstacles include walls (including the edge of the map), columns, explosive barrels, and other characters.

Crates, however, can be pushed back by moving Forward into them, as long as there are no obstacles behind them. Sidestepping into a crate does not push it; instead, the character does not move.

2.10: Combat: HP

Alex and Chad have 2 HP.

Gun Goons have 1 HP. Kung Fu Goons have 2 HP.

When a character loses all his HP, that character dies and is removed from play.

2.11. Combat: Melee

A Melee card causes the character to attack the square immediately in front of him. If a Melee hits…

—Any character: The character takes 1 HP of damage, unless he is Dodging, in which case he takes 0 damage and is no longer Dodging.
—A wall or column: Nothing happens.
—A crate: The crate is broken.
—An explosive barrel: The barrel is pushed forward 1 space, unless there is an obstacle behind it, in which case nothing happens.

2.12. Combat: Fire (and Barrel Explosions)

A Fire card causes a bullet to travel 3 spaces forward from the character that shoots. It collides with the first object it hits.

If a bullet collides with…

—Any character: That character takes 1 HP of damage, unless he is Dodging, in which case he takes 0 damage and is no longer Dodging.
—A wall, column, or crate: The bullet is stopped. Crates are not damaged.
—An explosive barrel: The barrel explodes. It is immediately destroyed. When a barrel explodes, it affects all 8 surrounding spaces.

If a barrel explodes near…

—Any character: That character takes 2 HP of damage, unless he is Dodging, in which case he takes 1 damage and is no longer Dodging.
—A wall or column: Nothing happens.
—A crate: The crate is destroyed.
—An explosive barrel: The barrel also explodes.

2.13. Combat: Attack

An Attack card causes the character to shoot, unless there is a barrel immediately in front of him, in which case he Melee attacks instead.

2.14. Combat: Roundhouse

A Roundhouse card causes damage to everything in the 8 spaces surrounding the character. If a Roundhouse hits…

—Any character: That character takes 100 fuckin HP of damage, even if he is Dodging, because you can’t dodge a fuckin roundhouse from Jean-Claude van Damme. Fuck.
—A wall or column: Nothing happens.
—A crate: The crate is destroyed.
—An explosive barrel: The barrel is pushed 1 space away from the character, unless there is an obstacle in that space, in which case nothing happens.

2.15. Combat: Dodge

A Dodge card reduces the damage taken from Melee attacks, shots, and barrel explosions by 1. This means that a Dodging character takes 0 damage from a Melee attack or shot, and 1 from a barrel explosion.

Once a character Dodges one attack, that character is no longer Dodging. The Dodging state lasts only until the end of the Combat Phase.

If a Dodging character is affected by multiple simultaneous barrel explosions, the character takes 1 less damage from each explosion.

3. CHARACTERS

This section contains details about all the characters and enemy classes in the game.

3.1. Alex

Alex has 2 HP. He has access to fewer fancy moves than Chad, but is generally more reliable.

As stated, Alex always has 2 instances of the following 4 types of permanent cards to start each round: Forward 1, Rotate Left, Rotate Right, and Attack. Additionally, Alex gets 2 cards at random from the deck.

3.2. Chad

Chad has 2 HP. He tends to have less convenient cards than Alex, but has more fancy moves.

As stated, Chad always has 2 instances of the following 2 types of permanent cards to start each round: Sidestep Left and Sidestep Right. Additionally, Chad gets 4 cards at random from the deck.

3.3. Kung Fu Goon

Kung Fu Goons are melee fighters. They have 2 HP. They can move forward fast, but cannot sidestep.